Harper was a utility player whose first-choice position was right-back but he could perform competently in almost any position on the park and he frequently turned up in central defence, at left-back, centre midfield, wide midfield and sometimes even as a makeshift striker. Perhaps partially as a result of his great versatility however, he often found himself used as a squad player rather than as a first-team regular at many of the clubs he played for. He is remembered as a largely unspectacular but solid and reliable performer who very rarely made a mistake. Harper scored few goals but many of those he did score were spectacular efforts, often from long range. Everton fans nicknamed him 'Bertie Bassett' because he played in 'allsorts of positions'.

Harper started out at Liverpool F.C. in the late 1970s, the club he had supported as a boy, but he never made a first team appearance for Liverpool before Howard Kendall took him across Stanley Park to Everton in the summer of 1983 for £100,000. Harper initially became first choice right-back but after a few months he lost his place to Gary Stevens, who went on to...Read More